Chapter 2

Xiao Yun, as a direct descendant of the Xiao family, lived in a courtyard that was still quite decent, though it now appeared somewhat dilapidated. In the vast courtyard, there were only two servants.

Back in the day, when Xiao Yun awakened his martial soul, he was the center of attention, and the courtyard was guarded by many innate realm bodyguards. There were countless maids and old women, but as his cultivation stagnated, the number of servants in the courtyard gradually decreased. Especially after his grandfather went into seclusion and handed over all matters to his eldest uncle, his treatment was further reduced.

If it weren't for the kindness he had shown to Aunt Li and Huan'er, this mother and daughter would have long left.

"Master Yun, it's not good! Miss Ling's cold aura has flared up again," a hurried voice sounded as Xiao Yun entered the courtyard. Huan'er, the maid, was running over, and from her appearance, it seemed that Ling's condition was worrying.

"Why is it an hour earlier?" Xiao Yun frowned, knowing that his sister's cold aura was becoming more severe. Without hesitation, he immediately strode like an arrow towards a room and pushed the door open.

As Xiao Yun pushed open the tightly closed door, a cold aura immediately swept out. Huan'er, who was following behind, was frozen to the point of shivering and dared not enter.

This cold aura was even feared by innate realm cultivators, let alone a weak woman like her?

Xiao Yun only frowned slightly, showing no fear, and instead entered the room with a worried look on his face.

Entering the bedroom, he saw that a fire had already been lit, but the raging flames could hardly resist the cold aura's ravages. On a delicate bed, a young girl was covered with several thick blankets, but her body was curled up, trembling nonstop. The girl seemed to have heard the sound and quickly poked her small head out from under the blankets.

This was a delicate and charming young girl, but at the moment, her small face was pale, and her long eyelashes were covered with ice crystals. Her entire face seemed to be frozen with a thin layer of frost, making her look heart-wrenching at first glance.

"Brother." The girl opened her eyes, and a pair of cold aura-filled eyes stared at the hastily arriving young man. A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she knew that her brother had come, and all the pain would soon dissipate.

"Ling, don't be afraid. Brother will immediately draw out the cold aura for you." Xiao Yun walked to the girl's bedside in one step. Although the intense cold aura made his body shiver, he ignored it and immediately communicated with his martial soul with his mind.

A green light flashed in the young man's palm, and a green branch appeared on his skin, radiating brilliant light.

"Absorb it!" Xiao Yun held the girl's already frozen hand and began to control his martial soul to draw out the cold aura from her body.

Strangely, the cold aura that even innate realm cultivators feared was continuously absorbed by the green branch. It seemed that this martial soul had no fear of such cold aura, and the cold in the room gradually weakened.

After about half an hour, the cold aura in the room suddenly dropped, and the girl, who had been shivering, began to improve. The frost on her eyelashes disappeared, and her pale face regained some color.

However, Xiao Yun's face began to turn pale, and a cold aura swirled around his brows. The cold aura seemed to have transferred to his body, making the young man's body shiver uncontrollably.

But Xiao Yun was doing his best to suppress the cold aura's invasion, gritting his teeth and continuously drawing out the cold aura for Xiao Ling.

"Brother, it's okay. I'm fine now." Seeing her brother, who was pale and clearly freezing but still enduring the pain to draw out the cold aura for her, Xiao Ling's eyes welled up with tears, and she felt a warm surge in her heart, trying to persuade her brother.

"It's fine. I can hold on." Xiao Yun forced a smile, firmly controlling his martial soul to draw out the cold aura from his sister's body. If he didn't complete the process, it would not only cause a recurrence in a short time but also harm the girl's body.

So, despite the cold aura's invasion that he was almost unable to bear, Xiao Yun gritted his teeth and continued to draw out the cold aura for his sister.

Because this was his sister, who he relied on for survival...

If he didn't take care of her, who else would?

Seeing her brother's determined expression, Xiao Ling's eyelashes trembled, and tears rolled in her lively eyes.

Over the years, such scenes had occurred countless times.

Every time the cold aura flared up, Xiao Ling hoped her brother would appear, as that would alleviate her pain.

But on the other hand, she was also very concerned about the pain her brother endured while drawing out the cold aura.

Finally, after a short while, Xiao Yun let out a sigh of relief and released the girl's hand.

Because the cold aura in her body had been temporarily cleared.

"Brother, are you okay?" Xiao Ling blinked her lively eyes, looking at her brother with concern.

"I'm fine. It will take some time to dispel the cold aura." Xiao Yun smiled faintly, but his brows furrowed as he looked at the girl, saying, "The cold aura in your body is getting stronger, and the frequency of its flare-ups is increasing. I need to go to Ziyun Mountain tomorrow to pick some Fire Essence Fruits to suppress the cold aura."

"Brother, are you going alone?" Xiao Ling asked with concern. Ziyun Mountain was home to many powerful beasts, and her brother was only at the Sixth Level of Body Tempering. If he encountered those beasts, how could he survive?

"Don't worry, I won't be in danger." Xiao Yun waved his hand.

"Shouldn't someone from the clan go with you?" Xiao Ling looked up at the young man in front of her.

"Clan members?" Xiao Yun's brows furrowed, and then his eyes showed determination as he said, "Don't worry. Even without the clan's help, I can still make you live well. When my martial soul becomes stronger, I can easily draw out the cold aura for you."

"I believe you can do it, Brother." Xiao Ling nodded.

A few years ago, the Xiao family would still search for Fire Essence Fruits to help her resist the cold aura, but later, the clan members were unwilling to do so.

Because these Fire Essence Fruits could not cure the cold aura in her body, and the cost was enormous, which led to strong opposition from the clan members, especially after Grandfather went into seclusion, the clan completely cut off the supply.

The clan members had only one reason: she was not of the Xiao family's bloodline, so why should they risk everything for her?

Since then, Xiao Yun had never asked the clan elders for help again.

Xiao Ling also learned that she was adopted by Xiao Father years ago.

After giving Xiao Ling some instructions, Xiao Yun returned to his room and began to dispel the cold aura in his body.

Xiao Yun sat cross-legged on his bed, his mind sinking into his sea of consciousness and merging with his martial soul, beginning to dispel the cold aura.

The green branch of his martial soul was now covered in thick mist, and it was somewhat overwhelmed by the intense cold aura, causing the green leaves to be covered with ice crystals. Under the guidance of his mind, Xiao Yun felt as if his soul was about to freeze.

The martial soul continuously dispelled the cold aura, absorbing it all.

As time passed, the cold aura was finally completely absorbed by the green branch, and Xiao Yun's body recovered its temperature.

Carefully sensing, Xiao Yun could feel that his green branch-shaped martial soul had grown a bit stronger.

This feared cold aura had become nourishment for his martial soul, but the martial soul was still too weak to absorb the cold aura in a short time. Xiao Yun was confident that as long as his martial soul grew stronger, everything would be resolved.

Perhaps even his long-lost talent would return.

Is a martial soul that can advance really a useless one?

The answer is definitely no.

Because Xiao Yun could feel that as his martial soul grew stronger, his ability to absorb the essence of heaven and earth also increased.

However, what was worrying was that the cold aura in Xiao Ling's body was gradually becoming stronger.

"I wonder what kind of constitution Ling has?" Although Xiao Yun was somewhat worried, he secretly resolved to protect his sister and cure her cold aura, so she could live a healthy and happy life.

The next morning, Xiao Yun took some dry rations and left the Xiao family, heading to a mountain range outside Ziyun County.

This mountain range was called Ziyun Mountain, home to many beasts and medicinal herbs. A month ago, Xiao Yun had explored this area, hoping to find some medicinal herbs to suppress the cold aura in his sister's body. His efforts paid off, and he finally found a source of fire at the edge of the mountain range, where some fire-type medicinal herbs grew, which he needed.

This mountain range was dry and hot, and as soon as one entered, it felt as if the tongue and mouth were parched, and the heat was unbearable. Xiao Yun happily moved through the forest, familiar with the terrain, heading towards the cliffs and searching for the medicinal fruits he had encountered before.

"I didn't expect these Fire Essence Fruits to mature in just a month. There must be even more in the deeper parts of Ziyun Mountain." In a short while, Xiao Yun had picked five Fire Essence Fruits, a bountiful harvest.

These medicinal fruits would be very valuable if sold outside.

"The more concentrated the Fire Essence Qi, the more medicinal fruits are produced. There must be a source of fire there." Xiao Yun carefully sensed the nearby aura fluctuations, locked onto a direction, and dashed towards it.

After crossing a dangerous peak, the sunset had already fallen, and Xiao Yun arrived at a mountain ravine.

In front of him, flames shot up into the sky, and a scorching heat wave surged out from below.

This heat wave was suffocating, but Xiao Yun's heart grew even hotter, "There must be medicinal herbs nurtured by Fire Essence Qi here."

In front of him was a fiery ravine, and as far as the eye could see, it looked like a mouth with scorching lava constantly churning.

On the cliff of the fiery ravine, a bright red and delicate medicinal flower was blooming in the wind.

"That is a Fire Spirit Flower, a rare medicinal herb. With it, even without me, it can suppress my sister's cold aura." Seeing this, Xiao Yun was excited and, without hesitation, began to climb down the cliff towards the flower.

Even though the rocks were scorched by the heat, Xiao Yun did not think of giving up.

There would be times when he would not be by his sister's side, and with these medicinal herbs, he could be prepared for emergencies.

Xiao Yun climbed down to the cliff where the Fire Spirit Flower grew, cautiously looking around before carefully picking the flower.

Below was the fiery ravine, and he dared not be careless!

Once he had the flower in hand and felt the scorching heat from the Fire Essence Qi, Xiao Yun let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a strange cry sounded, and the young man's face changed.

"Bad, it's a Fire Python guarding the Fire Spirit Flower!" Xiao Yun was startled and saw a Fire Python leaping towards him. The python's tail moved like a fiery whip, striking the young man fiercely.